Keplerian Motion

Tests understanding of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, Keplerian orbital elements, orbital period formulas, velocity calculations, and orbit transfer mechanics.

15 Questions Published

Questions

Question 1 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

Which of Kepler's Laws states that a planet's orbit around the Sun is an ellipse, with the Sun at one of the foci?

  1. First Law
  2. Second Law
  3. Third Law
Question 2 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

According to Kepler's Second Law, what is the relationship between a planet's distance from the Sun and its orbital velocity?

  1. Inversely proportional
  2. Directly proportional
  3. Constant
Question 3 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

Kepler's Third Law relates the orbital period of a planet to what property of its orbit?

  1. Eccentricity
  2. Semi-major axis
  3. Inclination
Question 4 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the eccentricity of a circular orbit?

  1. 0
  2. 1
  3. 0.5
Question 5 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the period of a geostationary orbit around Earth?

  1. 24 hours
  2. 12 hours
  3. 36 hours
Question 6 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the orbital velocity of a satellite in a circular orbit at a distance of 6378 km from the center of Earth?

  1. 7.9 km/s
  2. 11.2 km/s
  3. 9.8 km/s
Question 7 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

Which of the following is not a Keplerian element?

  1. Semi-major axis
  2. Eccentricity
  3. Inclination
  4. Argument of periapsis
Question 8 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the transfer orbit used to move a satellite from one circular orbit to another?

  1. Hohmann transfer orbit
  2. Bi-elliptic transfer orbit
  3. Gauss transfer orbit
Question 9 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the velocity change required to transfer a satellite from a circular orbit of radius r1 to another circular orbit of radius r2?

  1. sqrt(2GM/r1) - sqrt(2GM/r2)
  2. sqrt(2GM/r1) + sqrt(2GM/r2)
  3. sqrt(GM/r1) - sqrt(GM/r2)
Question 10 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the orbital period of a satellite in an elliptical orbit with semi-major axis a and eccentricity e?

  1. 2πa^3/GM
  2. 2πa^2/GM
  3. 2πa/GM
Question 11 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the true anomaly of a satellite at a given point in its orbit?

  1. The angle between the periapsis and the current position of the satellite
  2. The angle between the apoapsis and the current position of the satellite
  3. The angle between the ascending node and the current position of the satellite
Question 12 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the argument of periapsis of a satellite?

  1. The angle between the ascending node and the periapsis
  2. The angle between the ascending node and the apoapsis
  3. The angle between the periapsis and the apoapsis
Question 13 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the inclination of a satellite's orbit?

  1. The angle between the orbital plane and the equatorial plane
  2. The angle between the orbital plane and the ecliptic plane
  3. The angle between the orbital plane and the plane of the vernal equinox
Question 14 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the ascending node of a satellite's orbit?

  1. The point where the orbit crosses the equatorial plane from south to north
  2. The point where the orbit crosses the equatorial plane from north to south
  3. The point where the orbit crosses the ecliptic plane from south to north
Question 15 Multiple Choice (Single Answer)

What is the descending node of a satellite's orbit?

  1. The point where the orbit crosses the equatorial plane from north to south
  2. The point where the orbit crosses the equatorial plane from south to north
  3. The point where the orbit crosses the ecliptic plane from north to south